EU groups raise concerns after Brazil audit findings

Several trade associations have called on European policymakers to reconsider the EU-Mercosur trade deal following findings from an audit in Brazil.

The EU-Mercosur deal is an agreement between the European Union and Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

A recently published audit report by DG Sante revealed Brazil’s issues in meeting European food safety standards, particularly regarding the tracking of banned hormones.

The audit in May and June 2024 highlighted gaps in Brazil’s ability to trace hormone use in its cattle exports to the EU, particularly estradiol 17β, a growth hormone banned in the EU because of its potential cancer risks.

Oversight concerns
Despite the findings, the EU Commission has allowed Brazilian authorities to implement their own measures to guarantee hormone-free beef exports to Europe.

Agricultural groups including COPA-COGECA, AVEC (the Association of Poultry Processors and Poultry Trade in the EU), European Union of Wholesale with Eggs, Egg Products, Poultry and Game (EUWEP), and Sustainable European Livestock and Meat Association (SELMA), said the decision raises serious concerns about the adequacy of oversight and the reliability of Brazil’s self-regulation.

They pointed to the Carne Fraca scandal which exposed regulatory failures in the Brazilian meat industry. Operation Carne Fraca was a Federal Police investigation that uncovered meat fraud involving some of the largest companies in the country. Findings were announced in 2017. Major changes were made by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food (MAPA) as a result of the incident.

“European farmers are alarmed by the potential risks of increasing imports from Brazil under the EU-Mercosur agreement as this will undermine the stringent EU standards for animal welfare, environmental protection, and consumer health,” said the groups.  

“Allowing access to the European market for products that fail to meet these established standards would be a disservice to EU producers and consumers alike. We urge EU policymakers to reject this agreement in its current form and to champion a trade policy that upholds the rigorous standards of our agricultural sector and reflects European values.”

Audit findings
Since 2020, there have been four RASFF notifications for residues of the pharmacologically active substances chloramphenicol, doramectin, and oxytetracycline and the pesticide chlorate in food of animal origin (two each in beef and poultry) from Brazil.

The audit evaluated the implementation of official controls on residues of pharmacologically active substances, pesticides, and contaminants in animals and animal products. DG Sante found that these control plans and the follow-up of non-compliant results were largely consistent with the principles in EU legislation.

According to MAPA, in 2023, Brazil exported 41,000 tons of bovine meat and 59,000 tons of poultry meat to the EU. As of December 2023, around 1,220 bovine animal farms in nine states were on the holding list which allows them to deliver cattle to 53 EU-approved slaughterhouses. There are also 26 poultry slaughterhouses.

National legislation on the authorization of veterinary medicinal products and the prohibition of using hormones and beta-agonists for growth promotion purposes in bovine animals was broadly similar to EU regulation.

However, the arrangements to guarantee that cattle and meat for the EU market have never been treated with oestradiol 17β were found to be ineffective. The Brazilian system differs from that in the EU in relation to the retention of veterinary prescriptions and the lack of a legal requirement to maintain medicinal treatment records.

There are 23 veterinary medicinal products containing oestradiol 17β authorized in Brazil. None of the labels indicate the product should not be used for bovine animals, meat from which is intended for the EU market.

Brazilian officials said only male animals will be considered eligible for export to the EU until the implementation of a private protocol aimed at providing guarantees that females have never been treated with estradiol esters. Resumption of the export of females is linked to actions proposed by the Department of Animal Health and has an implementation period of 12 months.

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